We recently connected with Valeria Martinez and have shared our conversation below.
Valeria , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Our journey began with a vision to create a space where individuals could experience profound transformation and growth while feeling supported and nurtured by a community of like-minded souls.
We see our facilitators as heart-felt companions, walking alongside people as they navigate the ebbs and flows of life’s journey. In a fast-paced and often disconnected world, we recognize the rare value of patience, compassion, and genuine human connection. These qualities are the pillars of our mission, guiding us in every aspect of our work.
Drawing inspiration from ancient traditions where ceremonies served as sacred rites of passage and communal bonding experiences, we aim to recreate that sense of unity and purpose in a modern context. By providing a safe and nurturing environment for individuals to explore their inner selves, heal past wounds, and cultivate authentic connections with others, we strive to fill a crucial role that has been largely overlooked in Western societies.
Through our retreats, workshops, and community gatherings, we seek to create a space where love, healing, and personal growth can flourish. Our commitment to fostering an environment of mutual respect, understanding, and support is what drives us forward in our mission to bring back the essence of traditional ceremonies within a contemporary setting. We believe that by offering this unique blend of ancient wisdom and modern practices, we can help individuals find their true purpose, rediscover their inner strength, and experience the transformative power of love and community.
Valeria , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Valeria Martinez, I am a first generation Mexican-American born and raised in Colorado. I am the founder of The Balam Sanctuary, a bilingual holistic retreat company offering wellness retreats and workshops including psilocybin facilitation in a ceremonial setting. Most of the offerings are based in Colorado however retreats can expand to other states, Puerto Rico and countries like Mexico.
My journey began with a deep personal quest for inner peace, which ultimately led me to start my own holistic retreat company. Struggling with chronic depression and anxiety, I found myself on a path of seeking healing and understanding. After reaching a breaking point where I decided to confront my pain head-on, I took the initiative to explore various modalities such as EMDR therapy, daily meditation, yoga, healing circles, and ancestral practices.
Through dedicated practice, support, and exploration of neuroplasticity, I experienced profound breakthrough moments. A key moment I remember is when I was able to regulate myself during a panic attack using somatic techniques that would typically spiral into a deep depression. It was a split moment of clarity in the storm that signaled to me that my brain was changing-I was changing. I found peace. As I continued on my path, my own transformation ignited a passion within me to not only heal myself but also to share the tools and practices that had helped me. I began teaching yoga and mindfulness to my Spanish-speaking family and later expanded my reach to offer community classes, where I discovered my natural gift for creating spaces of healing and connection.
Driven by a desire to further expand my knowledge and understanding of holistic healing practices, I ventured to Mexico and Ecuador to delve deeper into ancestral healing traditions, including participating and training in psilocybin ceremonies. As I explored deeper into my ancestral lineage and peeled back the curtain into my darkness, I also discovered more and more of myself. These immersive experiences not only enriched my own healing journey but also broadened my perspective on the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit.
Through these experiences and reflections, I have come to believe that we are all seeking to reconnect with ourselves and discover tools that help us navigate life’s challenges. Central to my mission with this work is the belief that love and connection are potent forces that can facilitate transformation, healing, and growth. Today, as I continue to evolve and grow on this path, I am dedicated to creating inclusive and nurturing retreat experiences that empower individuals to rediscover their innate resilience, wisdom, and inner light.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
I was facilitating wellness events and retreats for about two years as a passion project before I dedicated all my time to it. I honestly never really saw myself ever leaving my 9-5 job and saw my wellness work as a thing I did on the weekends of evening from time to time.
Things gradually shifted when my gifts expanded and my perspective on how I spent my time also began to change. I found my skills, passion, and interests began to align more with my side project than what I was doing for the majority of my week. Slowly, the comfort of a 9-5 didn’t matter to me as much as dedicating time to my passion. I gradually transitioned out of my 9-5 by going part time first which gave me a feel for how much time I would have to dedicate to my wellness work. During this time I was working part time, expanding my wellness work, and also saving money so that I could continue learning from teachers in Ecuador through a 3 month immersive experience. I was extremely proud of myself when I was able to coordinate the logistics of leaving my 9-5 completely and self funding my Ecuador experience through community wellness work.
My time in Ecuador was a milestone for me, or more like an initiation. The nature of alternative wellness work requires deep introspection and usually a transformative journey for the facilitator. I found that Ecuador’s culture and embrace of the ancestral wellness practices gave me the freedom to explore my gifts in a more open and intentional way. This time helped me embrace the unknown, cultivate self trust, and understand my own journey better so that I could hold deeper compassion and patience for the people I serve in my spaces.
While my transition back to the states from South America with no 9-5 job to fall back on was a rude awakening, it lit my fire for learning how to ground my wellness space within a fast-paced, capitalistic society where bills are very much a real thing. I feel this is an ever evolving path of learning to balance the soul calling with the necessary financial and logistical skills it takes to run a business. It is always community, family, colleagues, and medicine practices that help me ground and keep fighting to bring my dream into reality.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Navigating the entrepreneurial path within the spiritual and wellness realm has been both rewarding and challenging. The evolving psychedelic landscape in Colorado can present hurdles that require constant adaptation and awareness to remain compliant and ethical.
Additionally, incorporating psilocybin learning experiences, which are deeply experiential and intertwined with personal growth, brings its own set of challenges. It can be a delicate balance to integrate my own profound experiences into a business framework while respecting Psilocybin as a sacred medicine and staying true to the intentions behind them. Being a holistic and psychedelic facilitator requires a deep sense of responsibility, humility, and authenticity. There have been times where the extractive nature of our society, or even my own projections emerge and it’s important to be aware of when you are being pulled away from your integrity and values. It’s important that facilitators regularly sit with the medicine if they want to deeply understand the psychedelic experiences that they will be guiding others through, integrate and embody their experiences, and practice self care.
Similarly on a personal level, imposter syndrome can also be a common struggle for entrepreneurs in the wellness space. As we strive to guide and support others on their spiritual journey, it’s essential to address our own insecurities and self-doubt, recognizing that we are all continually learning and growing.
Despite these challenges, each hurdle serves as an opportunity for growth and learning, ultimately enriching the entrepreneurial journey within the spiritual and wellness space. By remaining resilient, adaptable, and true to our values, we can overcome obstacles and continue to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thebalamsanctuary.com
- Instagram: @thebalamsanctuary
- Other: link tree: https://linktr.ee/thebalamsanctuary
Email: [email protected]
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